THE TAINOS AND THE KALLINAGOS The Tainos and the Kallinagos were the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. Their cultures were very primitive and so were not regarded as civilizations. Social Organization Hunting and fishing was done by the men while farming was almost entirely carried out by the women. Men also were usually involved in warfare. The Kallinagos had a well developed military tradition but the Tainos were not afraid to defend their settlements when necessary. Taino society was more peaceful and based on hierarchy while Kallinago society had a more military stucture.
Indigenous women worked in the fields, planting crops such as maize. They were trhe ones who carried out the household chores. They were also the caregivers for their children. Leadership
Each Taino community was ruled by a cacique; he was a ruler whose position was determined by heredity. He also acted as high priest and judge in the village that he ruled. He was treated with great respect by his villagers and he would receive the best catch and crops from farmers and hunters. The cacique made all decisions in his village and was assisted by noble men called nitayanos. These were the oldest men in the village.
Each Kallinago family was independent and justice was carried out on a personal level. However villages were ruled by a civil leader who would supervised farming and fishing activities as well as a more important war leader or ouboutu. (The civil leader had to give up his power to the ouboutu when necessary). The ouboutu was chosen based on his bravery. If a Kallinago male wanted to be elected as an ouboutu, he had to have killed several enemy warriors or one cacique with his bare hands. Before a child could become a warrior he had to undergo a painful initiation in which he had to have his skin cut without flinching.
Religion
Tainos worshipped zemis or idols that were believed to control the forces of nature.These zemis were made from shell, wood or bone in the shape of a human or animal. Cotton zemis held the bones of ancestors. Tainos believed that trees, rivers and rocks were the homes of spirits. To protect themselves they wore amulets, painted their bodies with sacred designs and took specially prepared medicines. The cacique was also the high priest and resided over all religious ceremonies. They also believed in a heaven to which souls went after death.
Kallinagos believed in good and bad spirits; these spirits were called maboya. They believed that each person had their own spirit and that specially trained priests had their own spirits. They believed (like the Tainos) that death led to a life in another form. They also believed that their live bodies could become homes for the souls of dead enemies. They believed that eating the flesh of a dead enemy warrior would give them strength and courage; so because of this after a raid, enemies were cut up and certain parts of their body eaten.
Click here to see a pic of a Taino zemi Customs Both cultures flattened the foreheads of their babies as this was considered attractive.They enjoyed singing, dancing, music and tobacco smoking. They both enjoyed dancing, music and tobacco smoking.
The Tainos also played a ball game called batos. Their main foods were seafood, vegetables and pepper. They also ate agouti, iguana and a barkless dog that is now extinct.They lived in rectangular and round thatch houses. They used gold only to make ornaments. They traveled from island to island to trade in canoes large enough to hold 80 people.
Kallinagos customs focused on war. Before they attecked the Tainos, they worked themselves into a rage and then used their wAr canoes to carry out their attack. They always carried away their dead and any captures Taino men were starved for five days then ceremoniously killed and eaten. Captured women became the concubines of the Kallinago warriors.They war canoes were narrow so that they could have been easy to manouvre and cover long voyages in a short time.
Kallinago weapons were altogether more deadly than those of the Tainos. They used fire and poiso tipped arrows. The poison was fatal to whoever got struck by the arrow. They also had clubs and speas. One club called the butu had sharpened flints fixed in its head.
Tainos had simpler weapons than the Kallinagos. The Tainos often used a stout wooden club called the macana. A well aimed blow from this club could crush a skull protected by thick armour.
Technology
It is important to recognize that the Kallinago and Taino had a level of technology in their lives. They made hammocks and long length canoes and utilized the bow and arrow and other wooden implements. They made pottery and wove cotton cloth. They were also skilled at extracting a kind of flour from the poisonous cassava to make bread.
Interaction of the Tainos and the Kalloinagos
The Taino and Kallinago did not have peaceful interaction. It was always during hostilities that they met. The Kallinago would often attack Taino villages. The women in the Taino villages who were taken to the Kallinago villages during raids would eventually become integrated into the latter's culture but also infused some of their Taino practices in the Kallinago society.
Original Amerindian names for some of the Caribbean islands
Wai'tukubuli - Dominica (Tall is her body)
Karukera - Guadeloupe (Beautiful water)
Xamayca or Hamaica - Jamaica (Land of wood and water)
Iere - Trinidad (Land of the hummingbird)
RELATED PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
1a. State 3 ways in which the Amerindians obtained their food. b. State 2 ways in which the Tainos and Kallinagos were different. 2a. Name the area which was the original South American home of the Kallinago and the Tainos. b. Name the group of Caribbean islands occupied by EACH of the following when the Europeans arrived: (i) The Tainos (ii) The Kallinagos c. Give 2 reasons why the Indigenous peoples migrated from their original South American homes. d. Describe the settlement patterns of EITHER the Kallinago or the Tainos.
3a. Why did the Tainos locate most of their settlements on the coast or near streams? b. In what ways was the social organization of the Caribs and Arawaks similar?
The Tainos and the Kallinagos were the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. Their cultures were very primitive and so were not regarded as civilizations.
Social Organization
Hunting and fishing was done by the men while farming was almost entirely carried out by the women. Men also were usually involved in warfare. The Kallinagos had a well developed military tradition but the Tainos were not afraid to defend their settlements when necessary. Taino society was more peaceful and based on hierarchy while Kallinago society had a more military stucture.
Indigenous women worked in the fields, planting crops such as maize. They were trhe ones who carried out the household chores. They were also the caregivers for their children.
Leadership
Religion
- Tainos worshipped zemis or idols that were believed to control the forces of nature.These zemis were made from shell, wood or bone in the shape of a human or animal. Cotton zemis held the bones of ancestors. Tainos believed that trees, rivers and rocks were the homes of spirits. To protect themselves they wore amulets, painted their bodies with sacred designs and took specially prepared medicines. The cacique was also the high priest and resided over all religious ceremonies. They also believed in a heaven to which souls went after death.
- Kallinagos believed in good and bad spirits; these spirits were called maboya. They believed that each person had their own spirit and that specially trained priests had their own spirits. They believed (like the Tainos) that death led to a life in another form. They also believed that their live bodies could become homes for the souls of dead enemies. They believed that eating the flesh of a dead enemy warrior would give them strength and courage; so because of this after a raid, enemies were cut up and certain parts of their body eaten.
Click here to see a pic of a Taino zemiCustoms
Both cultures flattened the foreheads of their babies as this was considered attractive.They enjoyed singing, dancing, music and tobacco smoking. They both enjoyed dancing, music and tobacco smoking.
click here to see a picture of a Kallinago warrior
Weapons
Technology
It is important to recognize that the Kallinago and Taino had a level of technology in their lives. They made hammocks and long length canoes and utilized the bow and arrow and other wooden implements. They made pottery and wove cotton cloth. They were also skilled at extracting a kind of flour from the poisonous cassava to make bread.
Interaction of the Tainos and the Kalloinagos
The Taino and Kallinago did not have peaceful interaction. It was always during hostilities that they met. The Kallinago would often attack Taino villages. The women in the Taino villages who were taken to the Kallinago villages during raids would eventually become integrated into the latter's culture but also infused some of their Taino practices in the Kallinago society.
Original Amerindian names for some of the Caribbean islands
RELATED PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
1a. State 3 ways in which the Amerindians obtained their food.
b. State 2 ways in which the Tainos and Kallinagos were different.
2a. Name the area which was the original South American home of the Kallinago and the Tainos.
b. Name the group of Caribbean islands occupied by EACH of the following when the Europeans arrived:
(i) The Tainos
(ii) The Kallinagos
c. Give 2 reasons why the Indigenous peoples migrated from their original South American homes.
d. Describe the settlement patterns of EITHER the Kallinago or the Tainos.
3a. Why did the Tainos locate most of their settlements on the coast or near streams?
b. In what ways was the social organization of the Caribs and Arawaks similar?